- Using social sciences in conservation strategies is an evolving trend that is important to address conservation challenges and bridge gaps in ecological research.
- Disciplines such as sociology, anthropology and psychology place humans and their behaviours at the centre of conservation success.
- More effective policies and practices have been developed using social science tools into conservation efforts.
Not long ago, nature conservation was primarily the domain of biological sciences. Research in these fields informed policies and practices, providing a clear understanding of species and ecology. However, conservation efforts that failed to account for the human element often fell short of their goals. The scientific community soon recognised that human society is an integral part of nature, and that the success of environmental policies often requires human involvement, sometimes even in the form of behavioural change. This acknowledgment of humanity’s role in conservation prompted a paradigm shift in how science is applied to conservation. The social sciences — such as environmental history, politics, sociology, anthropology, and more recently economics and psychology — gained wider recognition. This shift heralded a new era of conservation, inspiring more effective policies and practices that place humans and their roles at the forefront of conservation success.
How do humans interact with each other and with other species? What cultural beliefs and norms shape their relationship with nature? How does geography influence human connections to the natural world? What is the economic value of natural resources? These are essential questions in conservation, and the tools of the social sciences offer crucial insights. By examining these factors, we can better understand the success of conservation efforts at local, national, and international levels.
The human connection
Tiasa Adhya, a researcher at the Centre for Conservation of Natural Resources at the University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, and founder of The Fishing Cat Project, recognised the value of social science research when using its tools to explore people’s relationship with the Dankuni Wetland, the largest wetland in West Bengal. “Certain businesses had taken over the land, and developmental projects were being proposed, with the argument that wetland development would bring economic progress to local communities. We studied people’s connection to the wetland and their perceptions of potential development. Our findings revealed that the community, especially marginalised groups, highly valued the ecosystem services provided by the wetland,” Adhya explains. Wetland-dependent people identified 18 ecosystem services of Dankuni wetland, including 12 provisioning services and two each of regulatory, cultural and supporting services, the paper notes.
She tells Mongabay India that one of the key applications of these tools was to gather baseline data on wetlands, a resource that is scarce in the country. This data is closely linked to human lives, as wetlands significantly shape both livelihoods and local cultures. “It also helps us understand people’s perceptions. Furthermore, social sciences can provide a strong foundation for advocating a socio-economic approach to development,” Adhya emphasises.
Ecologist Iravatee Majgaonkar notes that biological research was once thought to offer solutions to all ecological problems. “However, a lot of interdisciplinary thinking has gradually infiltrated many academic organisations, shaping their approach to conservation,” she observes.
Aarthi Sridhar, a founder-trustee of Dakshin Foundation, believes that integrating social science research into conservation is not new. Various social sciences streams have been applied in conservation since the 1970s, particularly in India. While acknowledging that conservation science has its roots in ecological and biological research, she argues that the rise of environmentalism and related fields like political ecology —driven by landmark global events like the Stockholm and Rio Conferences — created a fertile ground for social sciences to make a significant impact on conservation practices. “For instance, environmental history has long been concerned with the relationship between humans and their environment but social movements and events in India underlined the local application of these fields, giving rise to notions such as the ‘environmentalism of the poor’,” she points out. Sridhar also highlights anthropology as a discipline with a deep, enduring presence in conservation science, particularly in South Asia.
She explains that during the 1970s and 80s, institutional frameworks were built to further integrate these interdisciplinary approaches into conservation. “New organisations emerged that connected with global networks, and there was a growing emphasis on collaboration, whether through conferences, idea exchanges, or joint efforts,” Sridhar says, reflecting on the evolution of conservation science over time.
Protected Area (PA) networks have long been the cornerstone of terrestrial wildlife conservation worldwide. However, in a country like India, where PA networks are often insufficient to support its diverse wildlife, many animals live outside these areas, often in close proximity to human settlements or even coexist with humans. To devise effective conservation strategies, it is crucial to understand how both humans and animals navigate these shared spaces. Human attitudes and behaviours play a significant role in determining actions that affect the conservation of species that live alongside us. Psychology, the newest entrant in conservation science, offers valuable insights into this dynamic.
Evolving trends
Prachi Paranjpye, who leads psychology research at the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), emphasises that conservation is largely an anthropogenic issue. “If we remove people, the ecology would thrive. Therefore, it is important to understand how people think and feel, as these emotions influence their reactions,” she explains. Paranjpye cites a study WCT conducted in central India, where they worked on solutions to reduce human-animal conflict. “Psychology has a concept called collectivism, which is the opposite of individualism. The common perception is that rural communities tend to be collectivist. However, our studies showed that these communities are shifting towards individualism,” she says.
Read more: Conservation by eliminating human presence is a flawed construct: study
This insight helped WCT develop a biomass-fuelled water heater or Bamba. “Initially, we considered using solar water heaters to reduce the community’s reliance on firewood from forests,” Paranjpye explains. Solar water heaters, however, required large communal spaces for installation. WCT’s survey, using psychological tools, indicated that the community preferred individual water heater units over communal ones. As a result, the organisation opted for Bamba, which ultimately became a success.
Majgaonkar, who incorporates various social science tools into her studies, says they offer significant practical advantages. However, she warns there is a trade-off in being too interdisciplinary. “Social scientists in conservation may have to let go of some of their core philosophies to accommodate biological perspectives,” she explains. Additionally, she notes that publishing research in certain scientific journals can become challenging when working in interdisciplinary fields.
“Multi-species ethnography, political ecology, and psychology are all powerful approaches in conservation. In an era of greenwashing and the introduction of concepts like carbon trading as solutions to climate change, economists become invaluable in policy planning,” Majgaonkar observes. However, she points out that there is still a lack of research or researchers bringing all these fields together, which is essential for comprehensive conservation efforts. “Utilising all these tools to address the multiple dimensions of a question is crucial,” she asserts.
Banner image: Women wash vessels at a stream in Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal. In India, people and wildlife coexist in innumerable ways both inside and outside of PAs. Representative image by Rito1987 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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